• Promising new biocontrol for invasive weed
• Improving the nutritive value of pasture
• Investing in the next generation of Victorian farmers
• Livestock and snakes
• Tips to maximise potential of retained seed
• Honey bee health survey
• Finding Australia's next generation of lamb leaders
• What's on

Agriculture Victoria research scientists have identified a bug and a mite in America that could help tackle one of Australia’s worst agricultural weeds – silverleaf nightshade.

This research builds on Agriculture Victoria’s previous biological control successes for pasture weeds, the most notable being the introduction of insects to control Paterson’s curse, which has saved millions of dollars for Australia’s livestock industry.

Silverleaf nightshade is a 'Weed of National Significance' and is a major problem for the red meat and grain industries in Southern Australia as it competes with other crops, depletes soil nutrients and is toxic to livestock.

The lace bug is native to Texas and the mite is native to Argentina where they have both caused damage to silverleaf nightshade without affecting other plants.

Agriculture Victoria research scientist Dr Raelene Kwong said the two species offered a promising natural solution to control the invasive pasture weed.

“Invasive species are the largest bioeconomic threat to Australian agriculture, with weeds alone estimated to cost nearly $5 million per year in control costs and production losses,” Dr Kwong said.

“The introduction of the lace bug and mite to Australia could save the red meat and grains industries millions of dollars through improved animal health, increased productivity, and reduced control costs.

“Biocontrol such as this provides an environmentally-friendly and self-sustaining approach that can reduce the need for costly herbicides, which can damage other crops, lose their effectiveness, and are associated with health concerns.”

Agriculture Victoria research scientists have undertaken pre-screening trials of the mite in Argentina and field trials of the lace bug are expected to take place in Texas in December.

If they are suitable, they will be imported to the advanced quarantine facilities at the AgriBio Centre for AgriBioscience in Victoria – Australia’s premier state-of-the-art agribioscience facility.

There, they will undergo rigorous screening against closely-related native, ornamental and crop species, after which, the results will be submitted to the Australian Government for a detailed import risk analysis.

Agriculture Victoria is also leading the Australian component of a new international biocontrol initiative to combat two other major agricultural weeds: serrated tussock and Chilean needle grass.

This research is part of the Commonwealth Government’s Rural Research and Development for Profit program, conducted in collaboration with AgriFutures Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia, the Grains Research and Development Corporation and Primary Industries and Regions South Australia.

Agriculture Victoria research scientists have developed a quicker and more cost-effective way to measure the nutritive value of thousands of individual ryegrass plants, enabling pasture breeders to select for high-energy varieties.

The nutritive value of perennial ryegrass is an important driver of productivity for Australia’s red meat and dairy industries, as it contributes towards the total liveweight gain or milk production of grazing cattle.

However, the nutritive value of ryegrass is traditionally not targeted in pasture breeding programs because it is slow and expensive to measure with destructive sampling and laboratory-based low-throughput methods.

Research conducted at Agriculture Victoria’s Hamilton research centre is helping to overcome this.

In this research, data was collected from ryegrass plants using a field spectrometer – a scientific instrument which can measure substances in plants such as sugars or fibres.

The data collected by the spectrometer was then used to develop prediction models for eight nutritive value parameters such as protein, fibre and digestibility.

Agriculture Victoria Research Scientist Chaya Smith said the new field-based model was very promising for pasture breeding programs and farmers.

“This will provide a way to improve the nutritive value of forage varieties that is much faster and cheaper than anything that currently exists,” she said.

The models also provide a tool for selection in breeding programs with a high degree of accuracy comparable to laboratory-based spectrometry.

“The accuracy varies with each of the eight nutritive value parameters, but protein, dry matter and digestibility were 80 per cent accurate,” Ms Smith said.

“For more complex traits such as fibre content, we are collecting more samples from different environments and growing seasons to make the prediction model more robust.

We are also developing a machine learning approach to improve the prediction of sugar content, which is complex as grass sugar content changes over the course of the day.”

Australia’s grazing industries will benefit significantly from pastures with better nutritive value.

Ms Smith said improvement in these herbage quality traits would increase the amount of nutrition available for stock and would decrease the need for, and reliance on, costly
supplements.

“Eventually, as the model is further developed, it could also be a tool for farmers to check the quality of their pasture in the field, providing relevant, real-time information for decision making,”
she said.

This research is part of the DairyBio joint venture between Agriculture Victoria, Dairy Australia and the Gardiner Foundation.

Thirteen young farmers from across Victoria have received the State Government’s Upskill and Invest Young Farmers Scholarships, supporting the state’s future agriculture leaders to shine.

Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes this week announced the winners of the fifth round of scholarships, celebrating young farmers from around Victoria across diverse agriculture sectors including goat dairy, cropping, chestnuts and livestock.

Upskill and Invest Young Farmer Scholarships are worth up to $10,000 per farmer – with $5000 to upskill through training and study in areas like farm management, financial literacy, product development or innovative farming techniques, making sure the next generation of farming leaders are developing world-class skills.

Once they complete their studies, recipients are eligible for an additional funding boost of up to $5,000 to invest on-farm or in professional development – putting their new skills into practice and boosting their businesses.

To date, the scholarship program has seen 63 young recipients go from strength to strength in their careers – and is an important part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to grow the state’s agriculture sector to $20 billion by 2030.

The successful recipients include:

• Sophia Christoe, dairy (goat), Mount Alexander
• Hannah Dowsett, livestock (mixed), Wellington
• Bridget Doyle, livestock (beef), Benalla
• Clay Gowers, cropping, Mildura
• Edward Guthridge, dairy, Corangamite
• Jackson Keane, horticulture (garlic) and livestock (sheep), Macedon Ranges
• Jessica Knight, dairy, Wellington
• Nicola Letts, horticulture (chestnuts) and livestock (pigs) Alpine
• Andrew Murphy, dairy, Campaspe
• Joseph Sutherland, livestock (sheep), Southern Grampians
• Joseph Watts, cropping and livestock (sheep), Buloke
• Dallas Willersdorf, livestock (sheep) and grains, Mildura
• Rebekah Winter, dairy, Colac-Otway.

Applications for the 2020 Young Farmers Scholarships will open in mid-2020, with farmers aged 35 or under encouraged to apply. To find out more about the scholarships program, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/youngfarmers

Dr Jeff Cave, District Veterinary Officer

As the weather moves into warmer spring days, snakes become more active.

All livestock, particularly horses, are sensitive to the effects of snake venom.

The severity of a snake bite depends on the size and species of the snake; the period since the snake had last bitten prey; the time after hibernation; the size of the animal it has bitten; and the location of the bite.

There are several clinical signs that may occur, however these can be inconsistent and variable. In general, snake venom paralyses muscles.

Affected animals may show signs of excitement, develop muscle tremors and have a weak, staggery gait.

Affected animals may dribble saliva and lose the ability to swallow.  Paralysis of the respiratory muscles will lead to respiratory depression and death resulting from asphyxia.

These signs may appear very quickly or be delayed. If an animal receives a small dose of venom it may recover after an illness of one to five days.

Snake bite can be difficult to diagnose at post-mortem as the small puncture wounds and local swelling can be difficult to find in a large animal. Diagnosis is often based on the sighting of a snake and the exclusion of other diseases.

If you suspect your animal has been bitten by a snake, seek veterinary assistance immediately, even if your animal is not yet showing any signs of envenomation.

The correct antivenom for the species of snake involved needs to be given and most veterinary clinicals will have anti-venene that covers one or more species of snake.

For further advice please contact your local veterinarian or Agriculture Victoria veterinary or animal health officer.

Dry and hot seasonal conditions can result in small and shrivelled grain being harvested and growers are reminded of some rules of thumb to adhere to when retaining seed following a tough year.

This grain can be susceptible to poor germination and low vigour (ability to push through the soil following germination) so extra care is needed and sowing rates in 2020 may need to be adjusted.

Frost may have also affected grains in some areas, causing a lower hectolitre weight and higher screenings – the material that is removed when grain is cleaned.

Josh Johnson, GRDC manager agronomy, soils and farming systems – west, advised growers to select their cleanest paddocks from which to retain seed, from both a weeds and seed purity standpoint.

“Paddock selection for a seed crop is generally determined before the season and, barring any crop failures, should not change during harvest,” Mr Johnson said.

“If you are grading seed, take the largest seed size possible to get the required amount for seeding.”

Mr Johnson said while a laboratory seed test for germination and seedborne diseases should be carried out before sowing, growers could also conduct a simple on-farm test after harvest to ensure they retained enough viable seed to achieve acceptable plant populations the following season.

“This on-farm test involves collecting and counting seed from each lot to be planted, putting the seed between moist paper towels placed in a sealed plastic bag, leaving them for five to seven days in a warm place and then calculating the germination percentage after counting the number of seeds that have not germinated,” he said.

Information about factors affecting grain crop seed germination, how to carry out on-farm tests and laboratory testing services is available on the GRDC Stored Grain Information Hub.

The GRDC Stored Grain Information Hub states if on-farm tests reveal poor germination rates, growers could decide to pay to buy in seed, but if rates were satisfactory, test results could be used to guide how much extra seed to keep.

Factors influencing how much seed needs to be retained for sowing include:

• Germination rate tested at harvest
• Further decline in germination between harvest and sowing
• Screenings, foreign and small seeds lost at cleaning
• Allowance for seeds that germinate but don’t emerge
• Seed weight (grams per 1000 seeds)
• Buffer to allow for change of plans in planting area.

Mr Johnson said once seed had been graded, correct storage was needed to ensure the viability of seed for the following season.

“This includes ensuring storage temperatures are cool, using aeration in the silo and making sure the seed has low grain moisture content,” he said.

“Monthly monitoring of the stored seed is advised, as is prompt fumigation if any pests are detected.”

More information about correct storage for retained seed is available in a GRDC Storing planting seed video and information about frost damaged crop salvage options and seed retention is available in a GRDC podcast.

The GRDC Updates paper Testing of farm-retained and carryover seed also contains information and stresses that while seed is a relatively low-cost input on a per hectare basis, it is essential in setting up a paddock for profit or loss.

A short survey has been developed to find out how healthy Australian honey bees are, and what pests and diseases might be causing problems for beekeepers.

The results from the survey will be used to decide what help beekeepers might need to keep their honey bees healthy. It will also provide statistics for use by the industry.

The Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, Plant Health Australia, and AgriFutures Australia, encourage all Australian beekeepers to take part in this survey, which will only take 10 to 12 minutes to complete.

The survey closes on 31 December 2019.

**TAKE THE SURVEY NOW**

Are you, or do you know someone, aged 18 –35 years who is passionate about the Australian sheep and lamb industry?

Well, we'd like to let them know that the LambEx 2020 Young Guns competition is open!

Six finalists will be selected from round one of the LambEx 2020 Young Guns competition to attend the conference in Melbourne, receive travel assistance up to $800, and will be provided with professional development opportunities during the event.

Entering the competition is easy! LambEx wants to hear your vision on how to connect the Australian sheep and lamb industry with city consumers.

Simply capture your vision in three minutes or less using any digital medium(s) including (but not limited to) video, photography with voice overlay, digital storytelling, graphics, animation, GoPro etc.

Unleash your creativity over the coming months to prepare and submit your entry by 31 January 2020.

For information go to: https://lambex.com.au/lambex-young-guns/

A series of free grain storage webinars delivered by Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) will provide growers with convenient, timely and relevant information and advice about all aspects of storing grain on-farm.

One webinar will be held every month for the remainder of 2019 – each being 30 minutes and focused on different topics.

The final webinar is;
• 10 December – aeration cooling.

To register click or call Amy Harwood on 0456 979 561.

The GRDC Grains Research Update events are for agronomists, consultants, researchers and growers to see and discuss the latest in research and to network with their peers about how to apply new and relevant information to the latest farming systems.

When: Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 February 2020

Where: Ulumbarra Theatre, 10 Gaol Road, Bendigo

To register click or call Amy Harwood on 0456 979 561.

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